In Bhagavad Gita 1.34, Arjuna lists the relatives facing him: teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other kin.
Sanskrit Verse
अर्जुन उवाच · Arjuna said
आचार्याः पितरः पुत्रास्
तथैव च पितामहाः
मातुलाः श्वशुराः पौत्राः
श्यालाः सम्बन्धिनस्तथा ॥ १-३४ ॥
ācāryāḥ pitaraḥ putrās
tathaiva ca pitāmahāḥ
mātulāḥ śvaśurāḥ pautrāḥ
śyālāḥ sambandhinastathā
English transliteration aachaaryaah pitarah putraas
tathaiva cha pitaamahaah
maatulaah shvashuraah pautraah
shyaalaah sambandhinastathaa ॥ 1.34 ॥
Translation / Meaning
Teachers, fathers, sons, and also grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives.
Verses 1.32–1.35 form one line of reasoning.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आचार्याः ācāryāḥ | teachers |
| पितरः pitaraḥ | fathers |
| पुत्राः putrāḥ | sons |
| तथा tathā | likewise |
| एव eva | also |
| च ca | and |
| पितामहाः pitāmahāḥ | grandfathers |
| मातुलाः mātulāḥ | maternal uncles |
| श्वशुराः śvaśurāḥ | fathers-in-law |
| पौत्राः pautrāḥ | grandsons |
| श्यालाः śyālāḥ | brothers-in-law |
| सम्बन्धिनः sambandhinaḥ | relatives |
| तथा tathā | also |
Word-wise Chanting
- ā–cār–yāḥ pi–ta–raḥ put–rās– 8 syllables aa-chaar-yaah pi-ta-rah put-raas-
- ta–thai–va ca pi–tā–ma–hāḥ | 8 syllables ta-thai-va cha pi-taa-ma-haah
- mā–tu–lāḥ śva–śu–rāḥ paut–rāḥ 8 syllables maa-tu-laah shva-shu-raah paut-raah
- śyā–lāḥ sam–ban–dhi–nas–ta–thā || 1-34 8 syllables shyaa-laah sam-ban-dhi-nas-ta-thaa
How to read this
How to chant: each line is one pāda (quarter-verse); chant it in one breath. The hyphen (-) divides the syllables, inside a word and across a sandhi join, so every pāda shows its 8 syllables (11 in triṣṭubh verses). A consonant cluster is divided after its first consonant (kar-ma, vet-ti): that syllable is held longer. Mark above a syllable: guru, long (two beats); laghu, short (one beat). | closes the half-verse, || the verse; the number is the syllable count of the pāda.
Deeper Explanation – Chapter 1 Verse 34
Context
Continuing from 1.33, Arjuna names the people who stand ready to die in this war.
Meaning
Arjuna repeats, in his own voice, the list Sanjaya gave in 1.26. Repetition is how grief speaks: it returns again and again to the faces of those it fears to lose. The order moves from teachers and fathers to sons and grandsons, embracing three generations at once.
Inwardly, these relatives also represent our attachments: to those who formed us, to those we have formed, to the whole network of belonging that defines who we think we are. The Gita will not ask Arjuna to stop loving them. It will ask him to see a deeper reality in which love and duty are not enemies.
In Practice
Write the names of the people who most shaped you. Let gratitude, rather than fear of loss, be your feeling toward them today.
Related Verses
Continue Your Study
This verse belongs to Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga (The Yoga of Arjuna’s Despondency). Read the chapter overview, browse every verse of the Gita, or return to the chapter-by-chapter guide. For a reading plan, see how to study the Bhagavad Gita and the study resources.